Time to break out umbrellas
Snow expected to fall about 2,000 feet
In a usual year, Raymond Prather places two orders of 150 umbrellas each to keep his Victory Stores in downtown Vallejo wellstocked.
Last year he only had to place one order — and he still has 60 umbrellas left.
This week could take care of that.
With an ominous-sounding “atmospheric river” predicted, the deluge is expected to start Tuesday night with Wednesday’s rainfall enough to make Noah take notice. OK, maybe not. But up to three inches is enough to bring some joy Vallejo firefighter Kevin Brown.
“Pertaining to fire danger, rain of that amount is beneficial,” Brown said Monday, thrilled for the predicted week-long rain after a dry spell.
“It’s going to have a positive impact,” Brown said.
While helping thwart fire danger down the road, the rains have a downside, he added.
“We know it’s going to bring things like vehicle accidents with it,” Brown said. “That’s where our focus shifts.”
The VFD urges motorists to maintain a greater distance from the car ahead of them and decrease speeds, Brown said.
“We’ve had a little rain here and there, but certainly
not enough to wash roadways of grease and oil building up,” he said. “So slow down.”
Brown also noted that if the windshield wipers are on, the law dictates headlights must also be on.
Though Brown expects the VPD to be busy this week, he said it probably won’t compare to the recent “wind event” when “911” calls were fast and furious from fires to downed power lines.
“We didn’t sleep. It was call-to-call all night long. It
may not have been our worst night, but it was in the top 10,” he said. “We were fielding calls all night. It was pretty brutal.”
Victims of the recent fires are warned to be wary of mudslides. Though not a Vallejo problem, there are lots in the city “that are low points in their streets,” Brown said.
Residents can help reduce the risk of floods in their neighborhoods by making sure that nearby storm drains are free and clear, said Jennifer Kaiser, public information officer for Vallejo Sanitation and Wastewater District.
“We encourage everyone to rake any litter, leaves or branches off the top of the grates so that stormwater can flow easily into it,” Kaiser said. “Don’t ever reach into a storm drain. If you think there’s some blockage inside, please call us at 6448949 and we’ll check it out.”
A free “self-serve” sandbag station is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the west end of Ryder Street just past the Wastewater District offices at 450 Ryder St.
Deanna Contreras of PGE asked customers to be prepared for weather-related power outages. Effects of heavy rain, gusty winds and low-elevation snow “will be felt across the entire PG&E service area,” Contreras said in a statement.
“While cold temperatures, heavy mountain snow, and precipitation will deliver some much-needed moisture to our droughtimpacted region, we expect this adverse weather to also result in some weather-related power outages. We’re urging our customers to stay safe and have a plan. Our team is closely watching this storm series and where it could hit the hardest so we’re ready to restore power safely and efficiently,” said Scott Strenfel, PG&E Manager of Meteorology and Fire Science.
“It’s all-hands-on-deck so crews are available and ready to respond to any outages safely and as quickly as possible, Contreras said.
Before Tuesday night’s predicted rains, a cold front moves in Monday night with Vallejo dropping to 33 degrees and the snow levels expected to fall to 2,000 feet, dusting Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County and Mt. Tamalpais in Marin.
The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office has issued a Winter Storm Watch for some areas, forecasting that snow levels could be 18 to 24 inches in Quincy, 24-36 inches at Yosemite National Park, 3648 inches in Mt. Shasta City and 60-80 inches at Tioga Pass.